Dubuque-Jones County IA Archives Obituaries.....Langworhy, James L. March 14, 1865
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Dubuque Herald, Mar. 15, 1865
Dubuque Herald, March 15, 1865
DEATH OF JAMES L. LANGWORTHY
The Oldest Settler of Dubuque Struck by Apoplexy
The city was startled yesterday afternoon by the intelligence of the sudden
death of James L. Langworthy. He was known to everybody hereabouts, not only
from the fact that he was the oldest resident of the city, having come here at
a period earlier it is believed than any other white man, but from the fact
that he had been up to the day of his death an active man.
He left home Monday morning apparently in his usual good health to attend to
some business at Monticello. He arrived there safely and passed the night with
his half brother, William Langworthy, who resides there. Tuesday morning he
went to the house of Mr. J. L. Davenport by invitation to breakfast, and had
been there but a few minutes engaged in conversation and as he stooped down to
remove his overshoe suddenly uttered a cry and at once sunk away into
insensibility, and died in a very few minutes. His disease is reported to be
apoplexy. It was shortly after 7 o’clock when he died.
The body was brought home on the train yesterday, accompanied by his brother
and Mr. Davenport, and upon its arrival was at once transferred to his
residence. The time of the funeral is not yet fixed.
Mr. Langworthy was born in Vermont in the year 1800, and was consequently at
the time of his death 65 years of age. His parents removed to New York when he
was a mere child, and in that state the rest of his brothers were born. He
came to this country as early as 1828, long before the Indians relinquished
their possession, and was with others driven across the river where they
remained until the Indian title was extinguished, when he at once returned.
This was in 1830, and he has resided constantly ever since. He and his brother
Lucius obtained the claim to most of the land on which the City of Dubuque now
stands, it is said for $700. They resided in the upper part of the city and
their land was mostly in that direction, embracing all of the Couler Valley
and Langworthy Hollow. They entered at once into mining and probably struck
the first rich lead. They held onto the real estate, and in the flush times of
1856, the two brothers were reported to be worth three millions. But the crash
of 1857 went hard with them as it did with all landholders, and James had
never fully extricated himself from it. During several years they ran the bank
of J. L. Langworthy & Bros., now occupied by the German Savings Bank, which
block is, in fact, owned by the Langworthys.
J. L. Langworthy was married in Galena in 1840, and leaves a wife and four
children, one son and three daughters. One daughter is attending school in
Chicago and has been telegraphed to return home. Mr. Langworthy was a generous
hearted and open-handed man, with some faults, no doubt, like all of us; but
now remembered only as the good citizen and the old pioneer.
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